Disruption of the neurexin 1 gene is associated with schizophrenia.
Deletions within the neurexin 1 gene (NRXN1; 2p16.3) are associated with autism and have also been reported in two families with schizophrenia. We examined NRXN1, and the closely related NRXN2 and NRXN3 genes, for copy number variants (CNVs) in 2977 schizophrenia patients and 33 746 controls from seven European populations (Iceland, Finland, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and UK) using microarray data. We found 66 deletions and 5 duplications in NRXN1, including a de novo deletion: 12 deletions and 2 duplications occurred in schizophrenia cases (0.47%) compared to 49 and 3 (0.15%) in controls. There was no common breakpoint and the CNVs varied from 18 to 420 kb. No CNVs were found in NRXN2 or NRXN3. We performed a Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel exact test to estimate association between all CNVs and schizophrenia (P = 0.13; OR = 1.73; 95% CI 0.81-3.50). Because the penetrance of NRXN1 CNVs may vary according to the level of functional impact on the gene, we next restricted the association analysis to CNVs that disrupt exons (0.24% of cases and 0.015% of controls). These were significantly associated with a high odds ratio (P = 0.0027; OR 8.97, 95% CI 1.8-51.9). We conclude that NRXN1 deletions affecting exons confer risk of schizophrenia.
Rujescu
Dan
D
Division of Molecular and Clinical Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig- Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
Ingason
Andres
A
Cichon
Sven
S
Pietiläinen
Olli P H
OP
Barnes
Michael R
MR
Toulopoulou
Timothea
T
Picchioni
Marco
M
Vassos
Evangelos
E
Ettinger
Ulrich
U
Bramon
Elvira
E
Murray
Robin
R
Ruggeri
Mirella
M
Tosato
Sarah
S
Bonetto
Chiara
C
Steinberg
Stacy
S
Sigurdsson
Engilbert
E
Sigmundsson
Thordur
T
Petursson
Hannes
H
Gylfason
Arnaldur
A
Olason
Pall I
PI
Hardarsson
Gudmundur
G
Jonsdottir
Gudrun A
GA
Gustafsson
Omar
O
Fossdal
Ragnheidur
R
Giegling
Ina
I
Möller
Hans-Jürgen
HJ
Hartmann
Annette M
AM
Hoffmann
Per
P
Crombie
Caroline
C
Fraser
Gillian
G
Walker
Nicholas
N
Lonnqvist
Jouko
J
Suvisaari
Jaana
J
Tuulio-Henriksson
Annamari
A
Djurovic
Srdjan
S
Melle
Ingrid
I
Andreassen
Ole A
OA
Hansen
Thomas
T
Werge
Thomas
T
Kiemeney
Lambertus A
LA
Franke
Barbara
B
Veltman
Joris
J
Buizer-Voskamp
Jacobine E
JE
Sabatti
Chiara
C
Ophoff
Roel A
RA
Rietschel
Marcella
M
Nöthen
Markus M
MM
Stefansson
Kari
K
Peltonen
Leena
L
St Clair
David
D
Stefansson
Hreinn
H
Collier
David A
DA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018628:Gene Dosage; D020440:Gene Duplication; D020868:Gene Silencing; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; C539628:NRXN1 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules